K-pop superstar BTS ranked as the sixth most tweeted about people globally, data from Twitter Inc. showed Tuesday, in apparent proof of the seven-member group's strong influence in the social media platform. While US President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden topped the list, BTS was one of two musicians to be among the top 10 most tweeted about global figures, with the other being American rapper Kanye West. BTS also topped Twitter's list of the most tweeted about K-pop accounts glo

Sales of South Korea's transportation industry reached an all-time high in 2019 thanks to a surge in demand for home deliveries, government data showed Tuesday. The transportation sector's top line stood at nearly 152 trillion won ($140 billion) last year, up 3.5 percent from the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. It marked the industry's largest annual sales figure since 1964, when data tracking began. The transportation industry's sales also increased for the fifth c

South Korea's public sector aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the coming decade by 37.5 percent from the 2017 level, the environment ministry said Tuesday. The new target is designed to support the Moon Jae-in government's plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, which means to effectively reduce carbon emissions to zero. It is higher than the target of 24.4 percent set for the country as a whole and applies to the central government, local governments, education offices and publi

South Korean banks saw their financial health improve in the third quarter from three months earlier as they reported higher net profits and raised capital amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Tuesday. The average capital adequacy ratio of 19 commercial and state-run banks stood at 16.02 percent as of end-September, up 1.46 percentage points from the end of June, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). A key barometer of financial soundness, the ratio measure

The portion of single-member households in South Korea surpassed 30 percent of the total for the first time in 2019, data showed Tuesday, amid a delay in marriage and rapidly aging population. One-person families accounted for 30.2 percent of the total last year, up 29.3 percent from the previous year, according to the data by Statistics Korea. Households consisting of a single member totaled 6.15 million in 2019, up from 5.85 million the previous year, the statistics agency said. One-person

The foreign ministry said Tuesday it will impose tougher guidelines starting next year to stamp out sexual misconduct at its overseas diplomatic missions following an array of such incidents and criticism for mishandling them. The ministry came under fire in recent months for failing to properly handle successive reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault cases from overseas missions, including an incident involving a senior diplomat once stationed in New Zealand. A local employee at the

The Seoul city government said Tuesday it will extend the opening hours of public coronavirus test centers until 9 p.m. on weekdays and 6 p.m. on weekends. Park Yoo-mi, a disease control official at the city government, told a virtual press briefing that the extended hours will help expand testing amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the greater Seoul area. She also said the city will reinstall drive-thru test centers as part of the effort. Seoul reported 214 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, the s

South Korean shipbuilders outpaced their Chinese rivals in terms of new orders for the fifth consecutive month in November, industry data showed Tuesday. According to the data provided by global market researcher Clarkson Research Service, South Korean shipyards won new orders totaling 990,000 compensated gross tons (CGTs), representing 60 percent of the 1.64 million CGTs ordered globally in November. The South Korean shipbuilders were followed by Chinese shipbuilders with 600,000 CGTs, or 37

South Korea on Tuesday implemented stringent coronavirus restrictions, effective for the coming three weeks, as a third wave of the pandemic tightened its grip on the country. The government imposed the second toughest curbs of the five-tiered virus restriction system in the capital area, which has been experiencing a rapid climb in new cases, and mid-level restrictions in the rest of the country. The country has been reporting around 600 cases daily, and test positivity rates have been over f

8일 오전 3시께 경남 양산시 북부동 한 재개발 구역 내 노상 쓰레기더미에서 훼손된 시신이 발견돼 경찰이 수사에 나섰다. 양산경찰서 등에 따르면 이날 새벽 쓰레기더미에서 불꽃이 난다는 주민 신고를 받은 소방당국이 화재 진압 중 시신을 발견했다. 시신은 양쪽 다리와 한쪽 팔이 없이 나머지 부분이 훼손된 상태였다. 훼손 시신의 성별은 여성인 것으로 추정하고 있다. 경찰은 신원 파악 및 사망 원인을 밝혀내기 위해 국립과학수사연구원에 유전자(DNA) 감식과 시신 부검을 의뢰했다. 또 인근에서 접수된 실종신고와 대조 작업도 벌이고 있다. 경찰은 시신 발견 현장 감식과 인근 폐쇄회로(CC)TV 영상 등을 통해 사건 경위를 파악 중이다. 경찰 관계자는 "누군가 시신을 유기한 뒤 불태웠을 가능성이 큰 것으로 보고 관련 수사를 이어갈 예정"이라고 말했다. (연합뉴스)

Members of K-pop girl group TWICE have tested negative for the new coronavirus, their agency said Tuesday. "TWICE members, including Sana, and their manager have all tested negative for the new coronavirus," JYP Entertainment said in a statement sent through a text message. The agency added that Sana will go into home isolation until Dec. 18 in line with guidelines distributed by health authorities, while the remaining members will work as planned. Members of the nine-piece band got

US early warning aircraft and reconnaissance planes have flown over South Korea, aviation trackers showed Tuesday, in an apparent move to monitor North Korea. One E-3B Sentry airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) jet departed Kadena Air Base in Okinawa and carried out a mission over South Korea and the Yellow Sea on Tuesday, Aircraft Spots tweeted. This type of aircraft provides all-altitude, all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications, according to the US Air Force.

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Monday renewed its designation of North Korea as one of the state violators of religious freedom. It marks the 19th consecutive year the North has been named a state violator of religious freedom. "Religious freedom is an unalienable right, and the bedrock upon which free societies are built and flourish. Today, the United States -- a nation founded by those fleeing religious persecution, as the recent Commission on Unalienable Rights report noted -- onc

Four more service members tested positive for the new coronavirus amid continued cluster infections at barracks, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Three Army officers at the Sangmudae Artillery School in the southwestern county of Jangseong were confirmed to have been infected after coming into contact with a colleague who earlier tested positive, according to the ministry. The total number of COVID-19 cases reported at Sangmudae has grown to 30. One soldier stationed in the western city of

The stock value of Lee Kun-hee, the late chief of South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung Group, soared more than 21 percent this year due largely to a surge in the share price of group flagship Samsung Electronics Co., data showed Tuesday. The value of stocks held by Lee, who died on Oct. 25 after being bedridden following a heart attack in 2014, totaled 21.04 trillion won ($19.4 billion) as of Wednesday, according to the data from market researcher CXO Institute. It was up 21.1 percent from L

The US Forces Korea is facing criticism over a dance party held at one of its bases last week at which participants did not wear face masks amid South Korea's heightened social distancing scheme to stem the resurgence of new coronavirus cases. The party took place at Flightline Tap Room at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on Friday, with dozens of people dancing side by side without wearing masks, according to officials. On the same day, South Korea's daily number of new COVID-19

A Seoul court has slapped a fine on a progressive politician accused of staging a protest to smear a rival candidate in the run-up to the April parliamentary elections. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the 29-year-old woman to a fine of 800,000 won ($737) on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, according to judicial sources on Tuesday. Running for the parliamentary seat for district B of Seoul's Dongjak ward on the ticket of the minor Minjung Party, the defendant wa

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that South Korea is considering becoming a member of a major Asia-Pacific free trade agreement, known as the CPTPP, as part of efforts to diversify its export market. He also stressed the need to build up the strength of the country's trade in preparation for the post-coronavirus era, addressing a 57th Trade Day ceremony. "Diversifying the market is a task that (we) should achieve," he said during the event held at the COEX convention center in sout

South Korea's tax revenue grew 6.8 trillion won ($6.3 billion) in October due largely to a rise in income tax revenue, the finance ministry said Tuesday. The country collected 39.1 trillion won in taxes in October, compared with 32.3 trillion won the previous year, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The rise in tax revenue mainly came as income tax revenue rose 4.1 trillion won on-year to 10.5 trillion won. In October, the government's total revenue, including tax income, amoun

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's biggest carmaker by sales, said Tuesday it suspended the truck assembly line of its local plant as seven workers at the plant were confirmed to have been infected with the new coronavirus. Seven employees at Hyundai's Jeonju plant, 243 kilometers south of Seoul, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. Some 2,000 workers took coronavirus tests on the same day, Hyundai said. "The truck assembly line of the Jeonju plant has been suspended from Monday. The com